Study shows Pirita River riddled with construction waste
This week, a litter survey is being conducted on the Pirita River to determine how much debris from Tallinn's rivers ends up in the sea. Previous research has shown that large amounts of construction waste make their way into the river, prompting the city to propose stricter requirements for the collection of construction debris.
Harri Moora, senior researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute, is spending this week tracking litter on the Pirita River. Together with the City of Tallinn, he is examining debris found in the river and monitoring how much of it reaches the sea. The findings will help inform strategies for making the city cleaner.
"One specific material that stands out very clearly in the Pirita River is so-called polystyrene foam, which is used for insulating buildings. It's already being used a lot now and we can expect even more in the future, since we need to meet building energy efficiency goals," Moora said.
"Plastic, which initially contains hazardous substances itself, also collects various other chemicals. In the end, it becomes a toxic pollutant that makes its way into the sea, then into animals' stomachs and eventually into ours," Moora added.
Dozens and even hundreds of pieces of foam plastic end up in the river from construction sites and can be carried there by the wind from several kilometers away. Because of this, the city wants construction companies to take greater responsibility for preventing debris from becoming airborne.
Tarmo Pohlak, a member of the management board at construction company Nordecon, said, however, that they are already subject to strict regulations and the main sources of litter lie elsewhere.
"A large part of the construction sector actually consists of much smaller projects. Major contractors maybe cover 10 to 20 percent of the market. The rest consists of private land construction, apartment building renovations, facade reconstructions and similar projects. On those sites, supervision may not be as strict," Pohlak noted.
Other types of debris found in the river include cigarette butts, empty containers and packaging.
"We are collecting data in cooperation with top experts and researchers, and once we have it, we can make precise conclusions about who needs to do what to reduce the amount of waste reaching nature and water bodies. With this knowledge, we can update the city's waste management regulations and cleanliness rules," said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform).
The river litter monitoring is part of a multi-year project set to conclude in fall 2026.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Marko Tooming
